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Showing posts from April, 2018

Artist and DJ Avicii dies at 28

Artist, DJ, and producer Tim Bergling, a.k.a. Avicii, died Friday afternoon in Oman, according to a statement from his rep. He was 28. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” the statement reads. “He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th. The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time. No further statements will be given.” One of the most popular and successful electronic dance-music artists of all time — he scored a No. 4 hit on the Billboard 200 in 2013 with “Wake Me Up” regularly appeared in the Top 5 of Forbes’ “Highest-Paid DJs” lists — he retired from live performing in 2016 at the peak of his success, citing health reasons. He had suffered from health problems for several years, including acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking. He had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014. He posted the following statem

Ex-Liberian warlord, Jabbateh jailed for eating human hearts

U.S. court has sentenced former Liberian warlord known as “Jungle Jabbah” to 30 years in prison for gaining U.S. asylum by lying and also ordering the cooking of the hearts of captives and those he killed. Mohammed Jabbateh, 51, who has lived in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, since the late 1990s, was found guilty in October on two counts of fraud in immigration documents and two counts of perjury. He lied about his role in the civil war in his homeland and atrocities he committed, prosecutors said on Friday. During the height of Liberia’s first civil war from 1992 to 1995, Jabbateh, while serving as commander of a warring group, either personally committed or ordered acts such as rapes, ritual cannibalism, mutilation, murder and the use of child soldiers, according to prosecutors. An attorney for Jabbateh, Greg Pagano of Philadelphia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to testimony, in one instance, Jabbateh ordered that the heart of a captive be cooked

Zimbabweans finally laugh at ex-leader Mugabe in new comedy

Robert Mugabe, 94, was once the most feared man in Zimbabwe, but lately artists have been imitating and mocking the former ruler. A satirical play, "Operation Restore Regasi," based on the military takeover and impending impeachment that ended the 37-year rule of the dictator, packed out theaters in the capital city, Harare. "The response was overwhelming. I thought with the hard economic hardships Zimbabweans are facing it would not attract many people," said Charles Munganasa, the Comedy Director. "We were wrong. We had to run it last week and we are going to run it thrice during the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA)." Carol Magenga plays Grace Mugabe, Khetani Banda as the former Zimbabwean president and Charles Munganasa as the former army commander General Costantino Chiwenga. HIFA is an annual, week-long event that brings international artists to Zimbabwe. Asked about why he called it "Regasi," Munganasa said: "It came fro

Thugs disrupt Senate plenary, run away with mace

At 11:15 am, some hoodlums stormed the Senate chamber and made away with the mace. The plenary had been disrupted while the sergeants-at-arms are battling with the men to retrieve the mace. https://twitter.com/MrBanksOmishore/status/986579617531203586?s=19 Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, said the invaders would be punished while calling on senators to settle down for a continuation of the proceeding.

Nigerian President Buhari to Run for Second Term

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term in February 2019 elections, the presidency announced on Twitter on Monday. The governor of Kaduna state had earlier tweeted that Buhari told the ruling party’s National Executive Committee of his intention to contest in the 2019 presidential elections. Kaduna’s governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is one of Buhari’s key allies. “President Muhammadu Buhari has just officially announced his intention to seek re-election in 2019.” This was the simple statement released by the President’s Personal Assistant on New Media Engagement, Bashir Ahmad. Many Nigerians jokingly call him “Baba Go-Slow”, though his supporters have given him the credit for Nigeria’s exit from recession in the second quarter of last year. Buhari will seek his All Progressives Congress (APC) party’s presidential ticket to contest the 2019 elections, the presidency said on its Twitter account.